Lowest Notes

Low B flat, the lowest tone in music that is not just a grunt, is sounded in orchestras by the contrabassoon or the contrabass tuba. Beethoven used the big woodwind in his Ninth Symphony. Haydn in his Creation, Brahms in his First Symphony. Wagner used the mighty mouthed tuba to plumb the murky depths of his Niebelungen Ring.

The lowest tones in nature are made, not by thunder as many might think, but by giant waterfalls, according to an announcement made last week by Dr. William Braid White, acoustic expert for American Steel & Wire Co. (U. S. Steel subsidiary). Dr. Braid offered as evidence sound waves photographed this spring at Niagara Falls. The sound of water falling from a great height, or the echolike undertone that falling water makes, shows from 30 to 42 cycles of vibratory waves. Thunder's pitch is considerably higher, starting at 50 cycles and crashing sometimes as high as 40 cycles above Middle C (261 cycles). Wind may moan at 100 cycles, whine as high as 600 cycles. Not even Niagara can go so low as the big bassoon or the brass tuba.

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